ANNAPOLIS — Motorists in Maryland will be prohibited from reading text messages while driving and may be pulled over by police under a new state law taking effect Saturday — one of a variety of new laws being added to the books.
A first offense of reading or sending a text while behind the wheel carries a fine of $70. A second-offense fine will be $110.
Officials said there were 496 fatalities from traffic accidents in 2010, a record low. The previous low was 550 in 2009.
“We have seen dramatic declines in traffic fatalities in Maryland in recent years and we want that trend to continue,” said Col. Marcus Brown, the Maryland State Police superintendent. “That is why police officers across Maryland are working hard with state and local agencies to inform and educate our citizens about the dangers of texting and cell phone use while driving. We know these activities can be major distractions to drivers and can have deadly consequences.”
The law won’t apply to texting 9-1-1 or using a global positioning system. Maryland banned sending text messages while driving two years ago.
Another new law enhances incentives for waste-to-energy plants. The law shifts energy generated by burning waste into a top-tier category for renewable energy, making such facilities eligible for higher-value credits.
Critics argued the change would undercut a standard designed for cleaner forms of energy.
Maryland also is creating a prescription drug monitoring program. The program will enable professionals to track the use of prescription drugs and recognize trends of abuse. Maryland has been one of the few states without a monitoring program for prescription drugs. Supporters of the program say prescription drug abuse has been soaring in the state.
The state is also expanding required participation in the state’s ignition interlock system program to repeat drunken driving offenders and all drivers convicted of driving with a blood alcohol level of at least 0.15, nearly double the state’s legal limit of 0.08. Drivers under age 21 who have a blood alcohol level of 0.02 also would be required to participate in the program, which requires that devices be installed in vehicles that require a sober breath sample to start them.
Another new law will allow female residents who are at or below 200 percent of the poverty level to qualify for Medicaid family planning services. Maryland had only allowed women to be eligible for family planning under Medicaid after their first baby. By expanding eligibility, unintended pregnancies could be reduced by about 4,000 a year, according to a January estimate by the Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health.
Maryland also has expanded the required distance between picketing activities and funerals, burials, memorial services and funeral processions from 100 feet to 500 feet. The law was passed in response to protesters bringing inflammatory messages to military funerals. The funeral in Westminster for Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, who died in a Humvee accident in Iraq in 2006, brought protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church.
The Kansas-based church says U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality.
Another state law weighs in on the issue of child neglect, which would become a misdemeanor. Parents would face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for neglecting their children, unless they are unable to take care of them because of poverty or homelessness. Legislation to criminalize child neglect had failed in three previous years in the Maryland General Assembly.
Law enforcement agencies that consult with a county board of education will be able to place cameras on school buses to catch motorists who commit violations when passing school buses. Authorities would have to have approval from the local governing body.
People seeking a divorce won’t have to live apart for as long as they used to. Maryland is reducing the time from two years to one year that a married couple must live apart without interruption before filing the application for absolute divorce on the ground of involuntary separation.
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